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Crisil rates You Broadband’s proposed IPO
MUMBAI: Ratings agencies look at cable TV networks with a conservative approach due to the nature of the sector. In its latest research report, Crisil Equities has assigned a grade of 2/5 to You Broadband & Cable India’s proposed Rs 3.6 billion initial the proposed initial public offer (IPO), implying that its fundamentals are below average relative to other listed equity securities in India.
The IPO grade reflects the company’s presence in two growing sectors – broadband and cable television distribution (You Broadband is present in the cable television distribution business through its associate company – Digital Outsourcing, where it has 36.24 per cent stake). The company has been able to sustain its market share of internet subscribers in the past four years.
Crisil Research expects the number of households with internet access to log a healthy growth rate of 22 per cent over FY10E-FY13, which would support YOU Broadband’s growth. The company has also grown in the cable television business through the acquisition of various multi-service operators (MSOs).
The company stands to benefit from the synergies of bundling broadband and television to its subscribers, resulting in higher revenues and economies of scale, Crisil said.
The grading is tempered by the high degree of competition in the broadband industry which has led to a fall in average revenue per subscriber (ARPU), resulting in low margins for players. You Broadband has a relatively weaker competitive positioning in the broadband industry which is dominated by the telecom behemoths that have a market share of 80-85 per cent. The future growth of You Broadband, to a large extent, depends on the company’s ability to successfully acquire local cable operators (LCOs) and to cross-sell its internet offering.
However, the strategy to acquire and integrate LCOs faces execution challenges. The grading is also constrained by the high degree of competition in cable television from direct-to-home (DTH) operators, many of whom have strong parentage and financial muscle. The company is also highly dependent on the IPO proceeds to fund its growth plans and any delay in fund raising would adversely affect these plans, Crisil said.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
